Covid: Jobs boost as Scots firm wins rapid testing deal

About 200 jobs are expected to be created in Clackmannanshire after a Scottish biotech firm won a major contract with the UK government to supply rapid Covid testing kits.

The deal will enable Alva-based Omega Diagnostics - along with an English firm - to produce up to 200 million lateral flow antigen tests.

They are designed to detect positive cases in less than 30 minutes.

The deal was signed with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC).

Health Secretary Matt Hancock said: "This new partnership will help supply essential rapid lateral flow tests to people all over the UK - showing the pivotal role that Scottish expertise is playing in our efforts to stop the spread of the virus.

"With one in three people with the virus having no symptoms, regular rapid testing allows us to identify cases we wouldn't otherwise find, preventing further transmission and saving lives."

The DHSC contract will provide Omega and Bedfordshire-based firm Global Access Diagnostics with the capacity to produce approximately two million tests per week each by the end of May.

Omega chief executive Colin King said his company was "delighted" to deploy its test production facilities in support of the UK government's Covid testing programme.

He said: "We particularly welcome the government's assistance to secure the specialist machinery needed to dramatically increase the scale of our manufacturing capacity, which has allowed us to ensure a ready supply of high quality, reliable British-made rapid lateral flow tests."

Omega Diagnostics and Global Access Diagnostics are members of the UK Rapid Antigen Test Consortium, a coalition of industry scientists and manufacturers.